Chapter 3


Ecology- The scientific study of interactions among organisms and between organisms and their environment, or surroundings.
Biosphere- Contains the combined portions of the planet in which all of life exists, including land, water, and air, or atmosphere.
Species- A group of organisms so similar to one another that they can breed and produce fertile offspring.
Populations- Groups of individuals that belong to the same species and live in the same area.
Communities- Assemblages of different populations that live together in a defined area.
Ecosystem- A collection of all the organisms that live in particular place, together wit their nonliving, or physical environment.
Biome- A group of ecosystems that have the same climate and similar dominant communities

Energy Flow

  • Sunlight is the main energy source for life on Earth
  • Some types of organisms rely on the energy stored in inorganic chemical compounds
  • Autotrophs = Producers
  • Heterotrophs = Consumers
  • Heterotrophs = Herbivores, Carnivores, Omnivores, Detrivores

Water Cycle

  1. Precipitation- It rains
  2. Runoff- Runs off into the ground
  3. Ocean- Ground water gets taken into ocean
  4. Evaporation- Water changes from liquid to gas as it rises into the sky
  5. Condensation occurs in clouds

Chapter 4

The Greenhouse Effect- Carbon dioxide, methane, water vapor, and a few other atmospheric gases trap heat energy and maintain Earth's temperature range.
Effect of latitude on climate- As a result of difference in latitude and thus the angle of heating, Earth has three main climate zones, polar, temperature, and tropical.
Biotic= living or once was
Abiotic= nonliving or never was
Community Interactions, such as competition, predation and various forms of symbiosis, can powerfully affect an ecosystem
Competition- When organisms of the same or different species attempt to use an ecological resource in the same place
Predation- When one organism captures and feeds on another organism
Symbiosis- Any relationship in which two species live closely together
Mutualism- Both species benefit from the relationship
Commensalism- One member of the association benefits and the other is neither helped nor harmed
Parasitism- One organism lives on or inside another organism and harms it

Succession

Primary- Succession that occurs on surfaces where no soil exists
Secondary- When the disturbance is over, community interactions tend to restore the ecosystem to its original condition

Biomes

  • Tropical rain forest
  • Tropical dry forest
  • Tropical savanna
  • Temperate grassland
  • Desert
  • Temperate woodland
  • Temperate forest
  • Northwestern coniferous forest
  • Boreal forest
  • Tundra
  • Montains and ice caps

Aquatic Ecosystems


Chapter 5


Populations